Work suit for farmers



Aug 25, 1953 R. J. scHAEFl-ER WORK SUIT FOR FARMERS 2 Sheets-Sheet lFiled Aug. 4, 1950 Aug- 25, 1953 R. J. scHAEFFER 2,649,583

WORK SUIT FOR FARMERS Filed Aug. 4, 1950 y 2 Sheets-Sheet V2 JNVENToR.P744 P/f dgcwfffffff? BY Patented Aug. 25, 4A1953 UNITED STATES ATENTOFFICE This invention relates to a work suit for farmers and moreparticularly to a Work suit for farmers which prevents the farmer frombeing adversely affected by fine chaff and dust during completion of hisfarm labors.

An object of this invention is the provision of a work suit for farmerswhich is airtight and dust-free, but which does not interfere with thefarmers operation.

A further obje-ct is to provide a work suit for farmers having means forair-conditioning the interior of the suit.

Another object is the provision of a work suit for farmers which may bereadily donned or removed by the farmer.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a work suitfor farmers which is simple and economical of construction, requiring aminimum number of parts,'but which permits the farmer to operate in anair-conditioned atmosphere. v l n A still further object is to'provide awork suit for farmers in which the helmet and hand coverings are readilyand rapidly removable without interfering in the air-conditioning or thedustfree operation of the suit.

The exact nature of this invention as well as other objects andadvantages thereof will readily be apparent from consideration of thefollowing detailed description relating to the annexed drawings inwhich:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the work suit of the presentinvention, together with a diagrammatic view of the air-conditioningapparatus; Y' y g Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the work suitof Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged front elevational View,Y

partly in section, of the helmet of Figure 1;A

Figure 4 is a front elevational View ofthe breast plate of the suit ofFigure l;

Figure 5 is an enlarged side elevational view, partly in section, of thearm and glove of the suit, illustrating one form of attaching andsealing means according to this invention;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view, illustrating the leg andfoot connection of the suit of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section of thebreastplate of Figure 4, illustrating the mode of attachment of thegarment to the breast plate;

Figure 8 is an enlarged elevational View of the mouthpiece of thehelmet;

Figure 9 is a side elevatonal'vew of a portionv of the air-conditioningapparatus of Figure 1, illustrating its mode of attachment to a farmimplement;

Figure 10 is an enlarged perspective view of the mounting clamp ofFigure 9; and

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 5 illustrating a modified form ofattaching means.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference charactersdesignate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,there is shown in Figure 1 the suit of the present invention whichcomprises a garment, generally designated II, a helmet I2 and a breastplate I3.

Garment I I is made of any suitable flexible air tight material, such asrubber or a rubberized material. Garment II comprises a body portion I4, arm portions I5 and leg portions I6. Detachably secured to the freeend of each arm portion I5 is a glove I1, preferably made of a materialsimilar to lthat of garment II. As shown in Figure 5, glove I1 issecured to arm portion I5 by means of a zipper I8. In order to make theconnection or joint between arm portion I5 and glove I'I, a cover orflap I9 is secured to portion I5 and overlaps the joint, flap I9 beingprovided with an elastic band, not designated, which tightly fits aroundglove I'I.

In a modified form of glove attachment, as i1- lustrated in Figure 11,glove I'I is provided with an elasticized cuff I8 which extends over theelasticized cuff portion, not designated, of arm portion I5. A flap I 9similar to nap I9, seals the joints.

f A leg connector 2|, which ts around the shoe 22 of the wearer as shownin Figures 1 and 2, is detachably secured to leg portion I6 by anysuitable means, such as slide fastener 23, there being a flap 24,similar to flap I9, connected across the joint between leg portion I6and connector 2I. In this manner, the suit remains airtight anddust-free when donned by the wearer. Furthermore, if either gloves I 1or leg connector 2I are removed, the suit remains airtight since theelastic band will tightly grip the hand or shoe of the wearer.

' In order to enable the wearer to readily don or remove the suit, aslide fastener 25 is centrally mounted along the full length of thefront of body portion I4, as shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1,one end 26 of body portion I4, overlaps the other, and is secured tothis other end by any suitable means, such as snap fasteners 2l. In thismanner, the suit is maintained airtight after being donned by thewearer. If desired, pockets 29 may be included with the suit.

To provide a simple and airtight connection between garment II andhelmet I2, breast plate I3 is mounted on the shoulders of the wearer, asshown in Figures 1 and 2. Plate I3 comprises a collar 3l, which isadapted to encircle the neck of the wearer, and a support 32. Support 32is preferably made flexible, in order to permit the wearer to don asmuch clothes as he desires. Support 32 is -provided with a plurality ofperforations 33, for better circulation of the air, and a pair of strapslots 34 for receiving straps 35 which support garment I I on theshoulders of the wearer. A belt 35 is provided for the exterior of thesuit. Y'

To form the seal between plate I3 and the upper open end of body portionI4, an indented peripheral channel 3l is provided in plate I3intermediate collar 3| and support 32. The upper end of portion I4 isprovided with a draw string 38, which, when drawn tightly, pulls portionI4 into channel 37 thereby sealing the open end of the suit, as shown inFigure 7. In this manner, plates I3, which are preferably made ofplastic, may be constructed in different sizes to accommodate differentwearers, while the same garment may be used for more than one wearer.

Collar 3l is provided with a threaded portion 39 at the upper endthereof which receives the threaded portion, not designated, of helmetI2 to thereby detachably secure helmet I2 to plate I3. To form anairtight seal at the joint between helmet I2 and plate I3, a nap AI,similar to flap I9 is secured to helmet I2, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Helmet I2 is made of a light-weight material, preferably plastic, andmay be entirely transparent. A pair of handles 42 are mounted on helmetI 2 in order to make .the helmet more readily removable. A sun visor 43is mounted on helmet I2 by means of bolts 44, visor 43 being adjustableabout bolts 44 and held in place by friction.

Helmet I2 is provided with a cushion 45 in order to cushion the head ofthe wearer, as shown in Figure 3. Space 46 is provided in the upper endof helmet I2 to receive a radio receiver 4l, which may be mounted in anysuitable manner, as by bolts 48. A mouthpiece I may be provided in thefront end of helmet I2 to permit the insertion of a cigarette holder 53.As shown in Figure 8, mouthpiece 52 comprises a plurality of nexiblebaies 28, preferably made of rubber, lying in contiguous relation toeach other. Cigarette holder 52 is inserted at the junction point of allthe Ibaffles 28. In this manner, the helmet remains dust-free andairtight.

In order to permit the interior of garment II to be air conditioned, afour-way permanent hose connection 53 is provided in body portion I4 inthe upper end thereof, one arm 54 of connection 53 extending throughportion I4 to one arm of a Y-type connector 55. The other arm ofconnector 55 is coupled to an air intake tube 56 which extends intocollar 3I to supply air to the interior of helmet I2.

An air hose 5'! is connected to one arm of connection 53 and extendsdownwardly through arm portion I5. An air hose 58 is connected toanother arm of connection 53 and extends downwardly through body portionI4 and leg portion I6 of garment II. The remaining arm of connection 53is a two way hose 6I, the ends of which terminate in arm portion I5 andleg portion I6, respectively. By positioning the open ends of the airhoses adjacent the lower ends of portion I5 and I6, the fresh air willenter at the lower ends of .the garment, while the warmer stale air willrise and be exhausted through exhaust valves 62 in the upper end of bodyportion I4. Similarly the stale air in the helmet I2 will exhaustthrough exhaust valve 63 in the upper end thereof.

The air conditioning apparatus of .the present invention, as showndiagrammaticallyin- Figure 1, comprises a pre-cleaner or lter 64 coupledby means of tube 65 to a liquid air cleaner 66. Filter 64 is mounted aconsiderable distance above cleaner 66 in order to be out of the path ofthe dust. Cleaner 66 is preferably filled with an odorless liquid, suchas water.

Cleaner 66 is connected by means of tube 6l to a fan 68 which issupplied with power overlines 69 from any suitable source, such asstorage battery 1I. Fan 68 propels the clean air through tube 'I2 andexible hose 'I3 to connector 55.

Cleaner 66 is provided with a bracket 14, as shown in Figures 1 and 9,bracket i4 having a depending leg, not designated, which is mounted onany suitable farm implement 25 by means of mounting clamp 16. As shownin Figure l0, mounting clamp 'I6 is triangular in shape and has anupstanding V-shaped flange 1l. Clamp 'I6 is mounted on implement 'I5 byany suitable means with the apex of flange II downward. The dependingleg of bracket 'I4 slides into flange 'I'I thereby providing an eicientand quickly detachable connection between cleaner 66 and implement 15.

If desired, a 6volt heating element, which may conveniently be operatedfrom battery Il, may be mounted in garment II, or in the airconditioning apparatus, for the purpose of heating the suit.

It is believed to be an important characteristic of the invention that ajoint structure is provided between the helmet and the flexible garmentbody portion, that is relatively inexpensive, is effective to form asubstantially air-tight joint therebetween, yand permits readyremovability of the helmet, while holding the helmet in proper positionover the head of a wearer whenever the suit is in use. To this end, thejoint structure includes the breast plate mentioned above, that isformed at its lower end with a support proportioned approximately to thecontour of the shoulders, upper chest, and upper back portions of thewearers body, an intermediate portion having the circumferentialrchannel3l, and an upstanding collar threaded to effect a separable connectionwith the lower end of the helmet, said lower end of the helmet vbeingconcentric with the collar and the separable connection in questionbeing removed from the channel, so that the helmet can be removedwithout interfering with the attachment of the flexible garment bodyportion to the breast plate. With reference to the attachment of .thegarment body portion to the breast plate, a iiexible member, comprisingthe drawstring 38, is attached to the upper end of the garment, andcontracts said upper end of the garment to the inner diameter of thechannel 31 for snug engagement between the breast plate and garment,after which the ends of the drawstring are ltied in the mannerillustrated in Figure 1.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosurerelates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and thatnumerous modifications or alterations may be made there-` in withoutdeparting from the spirit and the scope of the invention as set forth inthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an air-conditioned suit, a joint structure for effecting asubstantially airtight connection between a helmet of rigid formationand a flexible garment portion having a chest covering portion providedin its upper end with a neck opening having a loop extendingperipherally around said opening, comprising a breastplate integrallyformed to include a support at the lower end thereof extending throughsaid loop and underlying the chest covering portion of said garment bodyportion and proportioned to iit over and be supported upon theshoulders, upper chest, and upper back portions of the body of a wearer,an intermediate portion having a circumferential channel ofsubstantially circular cross section and having a circumferential slotproviding con munication between said channel and the exterior of saidintermediate portion, and an upstanding rigid collar at the upper endthereof f concentric with and receiving the lower end of said helmet; adraw string extending through said loop and disposed within said channelto draw the loop through the slot into the channel and thereby contractsaid upper end of the garment body portion to the inner diameter of thechannel for snug engagement with the breast plate; and means spaced fromthe channel and o draw string separably connecting said collar and thelower end of the helmet.

2. In an air-conditioned suit, a joint structure for effecting asubstantially airtight connection between a helmet of rigid formationand a flexible garment body portion having a chest covering portionprovided in its upper end with a neck opening having a loop extendingperipherally around said opening, comprising a breastfplate integrallyformed to include a support at the lower end thereof extending throughsaid loop and underlying the chest covering portion of said garment bodyportion and proportioned to fit over and be supported upon theshoulders, upper chest, and upper back portions of the body of a wearer,an intermediate portion having a circumferential channel of circularcross section and having a circumferential slot providing communicationbetween said channel and the exterior surface of said intermediateportion, and an upstanding, threaded, rigid collar at the upper end ofthe breast plate concentric with and receiving the lower end of saidhelmet, said lower end of the helmet being threaded for detachableconnection to the collar; and a draw string extending through said loopand disposed within said channel to draw the loop through the slot intothe channel and thereby contract said upper end of the garment bodyportion to the inner diameter of the channel for snug engagement withthe breast plate, said draw string being disposed in spaced relation tothe threaded connection between the helmet and collar.

RALPH J. SCHAEFFER.

References Cited in the i'ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Name Date 882,306 Hiler May 8, 1888 458,750 Stove Sept. 1, 1891642,166 Sherman Jan. 30, 1900 2,171,337 Hellman Aug. 29, 1939 2,361,786Morner Nov. 5, 1942 2,394,078 Krupp Feb. 5, 1946 2,512,990 Akerman June27, 1950

